A panel of academic and industry experts convened by NASA to assess the need to modernize planetary protection principles released more than 80 findings and recommendations on Friday.  Chaired by planetary scientist Alan Stern, the panel concluded that not only do existing principles need to be updated, but NASA should revisit these issues at least twice a decade as more and more knowledge is gained about the solar system and the evolution of life. The main theme is that the entire paradigm for planetary protection is changing not only due to the advent of new scientific insights, but also the emergence of commercial space activities. The government should encourage the private sector initiatives and have a transparent, predictable regulatory environment for them.

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of October 20-26, 2019 and any insight we can offer about them.  The House is in session Monday-Wednesday, after which it will recess so Members can participate in memorial services for the late Rep. Elijah Cummings.  The Senate is in session all week.

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The chairman of a key House appropriations subcommittee today reiterated his doubts about the need for and feasibility of getting astronauts back on the Moon by 2024.  To him, the original 2028 schedule is a better, safer, more cost effective choice. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine did not appear to make any headway convincing him the Trump Administration’s accelerated schedule is a good idea and even said there is no guarantee NASA can do it, only that it is “in the realm of possibility.”

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Today the Senate confirmed Barbara Barrett to be the new Secretary of the Air Force, succeeding Heather Wilson who resigned in May. President Trump tweeted his intention to nominate her before Wilson left, but did not formally submit it to Congress until last month.  During her confirmation hearing she supported creation of a Space Force as a sixth military service and highlighted the importance of space assets not only to national security, but to all Americans.

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Doug Loverro, well known for his national security space policy credentials, will become the new head of NASA’s human spaceflight program.  He succeeds Bill Gerstenmaier who was dismissed from that position by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in July.  Loverro most recently served in government as an Obama appointee at DOD.  He is now a consultant and strong advocate for creating a Space Force.

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NASA announced changes today to its series of five spacewalks to replace batteries on the outside of the International Space Station (ISS).  After two successful extravehicular activities (EVAs) last week, a power unit connected to one of the new batteries failed.  NASA is not sure why and is pausing this sequence of EVAs until engineers have some answers. Instead, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir will make a spacewalk on Thursday or Friday to replace the failed power unit.  That will be the first all-female spacewalk, moving that milestone up several days.

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Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of October 13-19, 2019 and any insight we can offer about them.  The House and Senate will be in session starting Tuesday.

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One of the world’s most legendary cosmonauts, Alexei Leonov, died today at 85 after a long illness.  In 1965, Leonov became the first human being to make a spacewalk and 10 years later commanded the Soviet side of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), the first U.S.-Soviet space mission.  Despite the Cold War, he and his U.S. counterpart, NASA astronaut Tom Stafford, became close friends and remained that way throughout the intervening decades exemplifying how space cooperation can change perspectives and transcend geopolitics.

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The heads of NASA and SpaceX agreed today that American astronauts could launch to space on an American rocket from American soil in the first quarter of 2020. But that is only if upcoming tests of an abort system and parachutes go as planned and that often is not the case.  The key is taking steps one at a time and making data-driven decisions focused on the safety of the two NASA astronauts who will be aboard.

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Elon Musk tweeted today that he expects tests of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon 9 rocket to be completed in about 10 weeks.  That would mean the crewed test flight, Demo-2, might take place before the end of the year or early in 2020.  NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will visit SpaceX headquarters on Thursday to see how the program is progressing for himself after recently complaining about schedule delays.

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